Palo Alto Networks' PAN-OS supports API keys for authentication when interacting with the firewall’s RESTful and XML-based APIs. By default, API keys do not have an expiration time set, but the expiration time for API keys can be configured by an administrator to meet specific requirements, such as a time-based deactivation after two hours. This is particularly useful for compliance and security purposes, where API keys should not remain active indefinitely.
Here’s an evaluation of the options:
Option A: This is incorrect because the default setting for API keys does not include an expiration time. By default, API keys are valid indefinitely unless explicitly configured otherwise.
Option B: This is incorrect because PAN-OS fully supports API keys. The API keys are integral to managing access to the firewall's APIs and provide a secure method for authentication.
Option C: This is incorrect because PAN-OS does support API key expiration when explicitly configured. While the default is "no expiration," the feature to configure an expiration time (e.g., 2 hours) is available.
Option D (Correct): The correct response to the RFP clause is that the default API key settings need to be modified to set the expiration time to 120 minutes (2 hours). This aligns with the customer requirement to enforce API key deactivation based on time. Administrators can configure this using the PAN-OS management interface or the CLI.
How to Configure API Key Expiration (Steps):
Access the Web Interface or CLI on the firewall.
Navigate to Device > Management > API Key Lifetime Settings (on the GUI).
Set the desired expiration time (e.g., 120 minutes).
Alternatively, use the CLI to configure the API key expiration:
set deviceconfig system api-key-expiry
commit
Verify the configuration using the show command or by testing API calls to ensure the key expires after the set duration.
[References:, Palo Alto Networks API Documentation: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/apis, Configuration Guide: Managing API Key Expiration, , , ]
